Post

The discussion and engagement was so good on this over the last few weeks that I went ahead and added 2 whole new sections to this blog post (worth checking out if you already read this!): I reflect on the discussions and fun that we had as well as provide more resources and a call to action.

frank.computerMinimalism and the absurdity of the data-to-ink-ratioHow much minimalism is too much minimalism? I explore this question and propose the most minimalist, highest scoring data-to-ink ratio on a visualization ever made as a thought piece. Why? Well novice...

Frank Elavsky (he/him) ⌁@frank.computer

I wrote about the data-to-ink ratio and a new game I've invented called "ink golf" for data visualization. I hope you enjoy: www.frank.computer/blog/2025/04...

13/5/25, 1:50 pm6 reposts14 likes

Frank Elavsky (he/him) ⌁

@frank.computer

13 May 2025

I go off, in my usual fashion, by the end of this:

Nick Desbarats

@nickdesb.bsky.social

13 May 2025

Love this. (...though the minimalism-fascism connection feels like a bit of stretch, IMHO.)

Frank Elavsky (he/him) ⌁

@frank.computer

13 May 2025

The tie isn't that minimalism is somehow inherently fascist as an idea but historically and culturally leveraged by fascism. It was so primarily as a resistance to the opulence and ornamentation of the old, dying empires of the pre-1900s. (IE Fancy ornaments were seen as bad; stripping them good.)

Frank Elavsky (he/him) ⌁

@frank.computer

13 May 2025

Marie Kondo's anti-consumerism, modern ascetic movements ("ascetic" not "aesthetic" mind you), and so on are probably not fascist. Plenty of minimalisms are fine. But some are clearly useful as tools of policing, enforcement, producing uncritical obedience, and generating aesthetic uniformity.

Matthew Kay

@mjskay.com

13 May 2025

The idea of aesthetic rules as a form of conformity tracks. Though the current manifestation seems to be hot-gluing fake gold ornaments to Whitehouse walls, so the modern manifestation might be more Realtor Rococo than brutal minimalism